What is Tranq dope (Xylazine)?
Xylazine, also known as “tranq dope,” is a potent sedative that has been used in veterinary settings for decades to calm and immobilize large animals such as horses and cattle. However, in recent years, Xylazine has also made its way into the illicit drug trade, where it is often mixed with other substances, particularly synthetic opioids like fentanyl.
The Deadly Rise of Xylazine: Risks and Dangers of “Tranq”
The emergence of Xylazine, a deadly substance known as the “skin-rotting zombie drug,” has raised concerns about the dangers of substance abuse. Xylazine is frequently mixed with the potent synthetic opioid fentanyl, resulting in a significant increase in fatal overdoses. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has issued a warning about the rapid rise of fentanyl mixed with Xylazine, which poses a severe threat to individuals struggling with addiction.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) has seized mixtures of fentanyl and xylazine in 48 states, and the drug was found in over 90% of drug samples tested in Philadelphia in 2021. Xylazine is often used as a filler to stretch the supply of other drugs, which means that users may not realize that they are taking it.
Xylazine is a powerful central nervous system depressant that can cause drowsiness, amnesia, and dangerously low levels of breathing, heart rate, and blood pressure. When mixed with opioids, the risk of fatal overdose increases significantly. The drug can be injected, snorted, swallowed, or inhaled and can lead to respiratory depression and overdose.
Despite its increasing prevalence in the illicit drug supply, there are currently no validated drug-checking tests or tools for detecting xylazine for users. This can make it particularly dangerous, as xylazine abuse can lead to addiction and dependence, which can be difficult to overcome.
Risks and Effects of Xylazine Use
The effects associated with xylazine use are numerous and can lead to severe health consequences. These effects include:
- Drowsiness
- Hypertension
- Tachycardia followed by hypotension and bradycardia
- Hyperglycemia
- Reduced heart rate
- Hypothermia
- Coma
- Respiratory depression
- Dysrhythmia
- Physical dependence
Users who inject Xylazine or drug mixtures with xylazine are at an increased risk of developing soft tissue injuries that can lead to necrotic tissue and may result in amputation at rates higher than those who inject other drugs without Xylazine. This is because xylazine can cause severe skin wounds when injected, which can lead to serious infections and other health problems.
Xylazine Addiction and Withdrawal
Individuals using opioids recreationally or those with an addiction often seek out the combination of fentanyl with xylazine for its enhanced sedative effects, typically used at bedtime in the belief that it will provide sustained relief throughout the night. However, this combination is highly dangerous and can result in fatal outcomes, increasing health risks significantly. Particularly alarming is the heightened risk when individuals are unaware they are consuming drugs laced with xylazine, which can lead to accidental overdoses and death.
What is Tranq Xylazine Overdose
When combined with fentanyl or other synthetic opioids, xylazine can increase the potential for fatal overdoses. Overdoses associated with xylazine may be more difficult to identify in clinical settings, as they often appear similar to opioid overdoses and may not be included in routine drug screening tests.
It is important to note that, unlike opioid overdoses, there is no approved antidote for human use for xylazine. As xylazine is not an opioid, naloxone, which is used to reverse the effects of opioid overdose, does not work to reverse the effects of xylazine. The presence of xylazine may also render naloxone less effective.
What Are The Symptoms Of Tranq Xylazine Overdose?
Symptoms of xylazine overdose include drowsiness, confusion, and respiratory depression. In severe cases, users may experience coma, seizures, and cardiac arrest. If you suspect that you or someone you know is experiencing an overdose, seek emergency medical attention immediately. Treatment may involve supportive care, such as oxygen therapy and fluid resuscitation, to manage the effects of the overdose.
The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) reports that:
- Between 2020 and 2021, forensic laboratory identifications of xylazine rose in all four U.S. census regions, most notably in the south (193%) and the west (112%).
- Xylazine-positive overdose deaths increased by 1,127% in the south, 750% in the west, more than 500% in the Midwest, and more than 100% in the northeast.
"This designation comes after careful review of the impact of xylazine on the opioid crisis, including its growing role in overdose deaths in every region of the United States," the White House said in a statement last year.
Xylazine Tranq Recent Updates & News in 2024
MARCH 20 2024
Virginia State Senator Tom Kaine's STOP TRANQ Act
U.S. Senators Tim Kaine (D-VA) and Ted Cruz (R-TX), members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, today filed the Strengthening Tracking Of Poisonous Tranq Requiring Analyzed National Quantification Act, otherwise known as the STOP TRANQ Act.
The STOP TRANQ Act would add a statutory requirement for the State Department to include reporting on xylazine, or “tranq,” in its annual International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR), a country-by-country report that tracks efforts to counter all aspects of the international drug trade. Currently, the report tracks fentanyl and other well-known illicit drugs like cocaine and heroin. It also covers the illicit trafficking of more common pharmaceuticals with abuse risk, such as pseudoepinephrine (Sudafed). Requiring the State Department to actively report on this emerging threat would ensure that the United States is better prepared to counter and respond to trends in the international drug trade contributing to America’s drug crisis.
Read the full press release here.
Read the STOP TRANQ Act bill here
2022 Xylazine Death Report Per State; SUDORS Dashboard
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